When you come across a really great movie that sticks with you even after you have watched it, it is going to have meaning to you. Most likely, it is going to become a movie that you want to watch over and over again. Whatever the reason is, whether it comforted you on a bad day, helped you cope with a rough time, or provoked your thoughts, it’s going to become a movie that you want to revisit from time to time. Great movies often have a quality about them that urges viewers to want to put the movie on again.
However, there are plenty of films out there that some people will only want to watch once. Not necessarily because it was bad, but maybe it just did not resonate with some viewers. Perhaps it was disturbing or scary. It could also be well-made but rather boring. Certain movies don’t have any re-watch value because part of the appeal of the movie is guessing what’s going to happen next, and if you already know what happens, that initial excitement may go away. In the case of the Danish film Speak No Evil, it is so incredibly frustrating that you simply won’t want to watch it more than once.
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The film follows a Danish couple, Bjorn and Louise, who meet a Dutch couple, Patrick and Karin, while on summer vacation in Italy. Despite the rivalry between the Dutch and the Danes, both families get along well. A few months after the vacation, Bjorn and Louise receive a letter from Patrick and Karin inviting them and their daughter to spend a week with them in their countryside home in Holland. They both think the invitation is a bit odd, but for fear of being impolite, they decide to accept. What follows is a weekend of rising tension as Bjorn and Louise continuously endure insults and uncomfortable behavior from Patrick and Karin.
The film is well-made and well-written. The commentary about society’s constant state of worry about being high maintenance, facing confrontation, and causing a scene is executed quite effectively through Bjorn and Louise’s actions. The first 70 minutes of the film show the steady increase of tension and irritation building inside the Danish couple, while the last 20 minutes are shocking and incredibly frustrating. It is certainly a film worth watching, but here’s why you only need to watch Speak No Evil once.
Society’s Fear of Coming Across Rude
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There are plenty of rude people in this world, but a lot of us genuinely worry about other people thinking we’re rude if we speak up for ourselves. As human beings, we have this innate desire to come across as easygoing. When we do speak up for what we want, many of us hope that it doesn’t cause us to appear high maintenance. Bjorn and Louise struggle with this need to not be impolite throughout the entire movie.
At first, Patrick and Karin are kind and try to accommodate their guests’ needs. They put together a makeshift bed for Bjorn and Louise’s daughter, Agnes, in their son Abel’s room. Louise thinks it’s strange to have the two children share the same room, and she doesn’t think the bed is adequate, but she refrains from saying anything as to not upset the people hosting them. Despite telling them while on vacation, Patrick and Karin conveniently forget that Louise is a vegetarian and continue to serve her meat. Bjorn even suggests that she take little bites instead of saying something because it would be awkward to correct their hosts.
The aggressions start to escalate as the days go on. Patrick and Karin invite them out for dinner, but they don’t inform Louise that the children are staying home with a babysitter until they are literally about to leave the house. Instead of expressing her concerns about leaving her child with a stranger, Louise just goes along with it because she doesn’t want it to seem like she is being difficult. The tension only worsens from there as Patrick and Karin continually behave in an unpleasant, and at times aggressive, manner. The one time Bjorn and Louise actually try to leave, they allow themselves to stay simply because Patrick and Karin asked them once.
Louise and Bjorn’s Complete Lack of Confrontational Skills
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Both Louise and Bjorn have concerns about the behaviors exhibited by their Dutch hosts. Their daughter Agnes usually sleeps in their bed with them because she’s afraid to be alone. One night during their stay, Louise and Bjorn try to have a night in their room just to themselves and end up falling asleep without bringing Agnes into the bedroom with them. Patrick and Karin take it upon themselves to bring Agnes into their bed, instead of waking up her own parents. Most parents would probably have grabbed their kid, reprimanded the couple, and immediately left to go home, especially after the way Patrick and Karin had been behaving toward them. Instead, Bjorn and Louise allow themselves to be convinced to stay simply to avoid more complications.
The utter lack of confrontational skills between Bjorn and Louise is astounding. It makes you wonder how a parent could let their family be put in these situations, but also how any person could stand to be spoken to in such a condescending manner the way Bjorn and Louise are by Patrick and Karin. They are so concerned with maintaining politeness and avoiding conflict, that they ultimately put their family in danger. Even when it becomes apparent that something is seriously off about this couple, Bjorn and Louise continue their stay.
People Are the Real Evil
The first 70 minutes of Speak No Evil are filled with slow-burning tension and dread. You become annoyed that people can be so rude for no reason, and even more irritated that some people just let it happen in fear of being rude themselves. The audience roots for Bjorn and Louise, despite the fact that they are painfully polite to their ill-mannered hosts. Surely, this couple will eventually put their own family first and do whatever they need to do to remove themselves from this situation. That hopeful thought is brutally crushed within the last 20 minutes when it becomes clear that Louise and Bjorn will continue to let these people walk all over them.
Even when Bjorn and Louise do speak out against Karin and Patrick, they either backtrack or give up. They never fully stand their ground or form a united front against them, not even when it comes to their daughter’s safety. They act as though they are left with no choice but to appease their hosts when in reality they could have put a stop to Patrick and Karin’s behaviors all along if they had just stopped caring about being polite. It is fascinating to watch the power dynamic between the Danish and Dutch couple, and the execution of the message the film is trying to convey is incredibly well done. Certain things Karin and Patrick say will stick with you for a long time. However, Louise and Bjorn will frustrate you so much, you will only need to watch this once.
